Differences of 2020 as a whole
2020 has been a wildly unpredictable year, and all the normalities that we are used to have been affected by the global pandemic, especially here, in the United States. However, regardless of the pandemic, this election would have been much different because of the two candidates running, and the past four years of Trump's presidency. “Trump's approval rating has hovered within the same nine-point range (upper: 47 percent in the Oct. 14-17, 2018 and February 14-17, 2020, polls; lower: 38 percent in Oct. 23-26, 2017) since his inauguration in January 2017”(NBC News) and with the many political controversies leading up to the election. Events such as the BLM movement and the rising questions on police brutality, along with the handling of the coronavirus by president Trump, there is bound to be controversy and very strong opinions formed.
How these events impacted the election
The coronavirus pandemic and the social justice movement in 2020 have both greatly altered the election. The coronavirus has made it harder for the two main presidential candidates to hold big rallies and events, and it has even cancelled one out of the three presidential debates, after President Trump contracted Covid-19. The pandemic and how President Trump handled it, has become one of the major points of discussion and arguments in the election, giving people more reason to vote, as a pandemic is not something the American people are used to. The killing of George Floyd on May 25th by police officers in Minneapolis, was what many point to as the beginning of the 2020 BLM (Black Lives Matter) and social justice movement.
Following Floyd’s death, came outrage amongst the United States, with many celebrities and influential figures speaking on police brutality and systemic racism in America. Many peaceful and powerful protests started, but were soon overshadowed by riots breaking out across the country, soon making the BLM and social justice movement a political topic and concern. The Washington Post reported on how each candidate responded to the movement, writing “A bit later, Ingraham played a clip of Biden condemning violence and calling out Trump for being too “weak” to call on his supporters to not act like an armed militia. Trump replied that it was Biden who was weak — and then rationalized his supporters wanting to act like an armed militia”. The main impact this movement had on the election was the widening gap between the parties, with increased violence and blame thrown at each other. However, the concerns surrounding the Coronavirus and the BLM movement ultimately added to voter turnout.
2020 election, let’s look at the numbers.
The voter turnout of the 2020 election was off the charts, especially with early voting. For example, The Guardian writes about how 100 million voters voted with the early ballot process and about 60 million more people voted in person, meaning a 73.7% voter turnout compared to the 61.4% in 2016 says Pew Research, marking the highest turnout in over a century. All this voting is due to a combination of factors, one being the passion of the Republican party for Trump, and to put it frankly, everyone else being passionate against Trump, not necessarily Biden's votes were for Biden. This is proved by the stats given by the News and Observer saying “Fifty-four percent of Biden voters surveyed said their vote was “more of a vote for Joe Biden” while 44% said it was “more of a vote against Donald Trump.” and “Among Trump voters, 75% said their vote was “more of a vote for Donald Trump” while 22% said it was “more of a vote against Joe Biden,” the poll found. Another reason for an increase in voter turnout was the media and celebrities, both using their massive platforms, to target people and encourage them to vote. NBC news wrote about how “more than 50 actors, comedians and YouTube stars will join a two-hour, live-streamed telethon on Monday night aimed at firing up younger voters, the age group least likely to cast a ballot” one of many ways celebrities have used their platforms. From personal experience, I have seen huge platforms, like Instagram and Snapchat, constantly reminding me and others to register to vote, almost every time you log onto the app, there is a message to register and to go out and vote. In 2016, there was nothing like that, it was not as important as people did not feel as passionate about the election as they do in 2020.
Final Thoughts
The hectic events that have taken place in 2020 have caught the attention of many teenagers, even those who cannot vote, to take an interest into politics, as they want to get involved in what is happening around them. The push for people to use their vote, no matter who it was cast for, is the biggest change from 2016, as the future of our country is in every American’s hands, not just eligible voters, because those who cannot vote can spread awareness as well.
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